# Can worms die from parasitic deseases?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 16, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559 "2005-06-16T16:04:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![fist\_sangreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@fist\_sangreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fist_sangreal)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559/1 "2005-06-16T16:04:31Z")

</div>

this is just something that my younger sister (10 yrs old) asked me, and frankly, I didnt have any answer. Since then, it has been boggling my mind. Can anyone clarify this for me?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559/2 "2005-06-16T16:14:16Z")

</div>

Maybe your sister can show you the forum listings too. 🙂

Heck, if she won’t, I will:

[Straight Dope Message Board (front page/forum listings)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/)  
\>[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/)  
Moving to General Questions.

your humble TubaDiva

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559/3 "2005-06-16T19:30:50Z")

</div>

Quoth Jonathan Swift:

> [@](#):
>
> So, naturalists observe, a flea  
> Hath smaller fleas that on him prey;  
> And these have smaller fleas to bite 'em,  
> And so proceed _ad infinitium_,  
> Thus every poet, in his kind,  
> Is bit by him that comes behind.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559/4 "2005-06-16T19:36:45Z")

</div>

Sure they can, including parasitic worms (which I presume is the kind you meant).

Some fungi, in fact, [catch and eat parasitic nematode worms](http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=faq&id=BiologicalControlWorm&stylesheet=aboutCSIROInformationSheet)

As **Chronos** indicates, many parasites have parasites of their own, known in the trade as _hyperparasites_ .

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-worms-die-from-parasitic-deseases/308559/5 "2005-06-16T20:34:59Z")

</div>

[The Earth Moved](http://www.amystewart.com/books.htm) by Amy Stewart has a description of this, and generally a ton of really interesting information about worms in general.